Queensborough Community College held its annual Partners for Progress Gala on Wednesday, May 24, at Terrace on the Park, during which seeveral alumni shared the secrets to their success after attending the school.
The event honored NYC Health + Hospitals President and Chief Executive Officer Dr. Mitchell Katz and Taiwanese American Arts Council Executive Director and Chief Curator Luchia Meihua Lee. NYC Health + Hospitals was named Healthcare Partner of the Year, while the Taiwanese American Arts Council was named Art Gallery Partner of the Year.
“I am an incredibly lucky person and I’m smart enough to realize that and to be grateful to have a job where I get to work with such amazing people,” Dr. Katz said. “These two institutions, Health + Hospitals and Queensborough, really have a lot in common because they both focus on access to everybody, regardless of ability to pay. At the end of the day, although they’re both large institutions, it always comes down to the individual person.”
“I encourage everyone to continue to support the arts and Queensborough Community College,” Lee said.
According to Queensborough Community College President Dr. Christine Mangino, the event was most about facilitating the journeys of students past and present. She emphasized Queensborough Community College’s commitment to providing its students with a caring, equitable environment to help them achieve their goals.
“I began my academic studies at a community college and I know many of you in this room also got your start at a community college,” Dr. Mangino said. “The caring, supporting community that is Queensborough welcomes all students and allows them to discover their passions, dreams of future successes and begin their journey to achieve them.”
The host for the Partners for Progress Gala was Queensborough Community College alumni Mateo Saenz. He credits his time at Queensborough Community College for helping to inspire him to become a doctor.
“Wherever my travels take me, I will always remember that Queensborough is where my story started,” Saenz said. “It was here where I found my incredible research mentors who opened doors that changed my life, here where I found my purpose to become a medical doctor.”
Additional reporting by Paul Frangipane.
